The CEO is retiring amidst the controversy that has surrounded Unity of late.
We recently covered Unity’s controversial Install fee policy, which sparked a significant backlash against the company.
Unity Software Inc. has announced that John Riccitiello is stepping down from his roles as president, chief executive, and chairman of the game engine and ad monetization company that he brought public during the height of the COVID pandemic. This announcement comes less than a month after game developers protested a new fee rollout.
According to Unity, John Riccitiello has made the decision to retire and resign from his role as the company’s CEO, president, and chairman, effective immediately.
The company stated:
“The Board will initiate a comprehensive search process, with the assistance of a leading executive search firm, to identify a permanent CEO.”
Unity has named James Whitehurst as the interim CEO, and Roelof Botha, the lead independent director of Unity’s board, has been appointed as chairman.
Botha said in a statement:
“Working with Unity under John’s leadership has been one of the highlights of my career. John joined the Unity Board in 2013 and stepped in to lead the Company in 2014, at a time when we faced significant challenges.
John has led Unity through incredible growth over the last nearly 10 years, helping us transition from a perpetual license to a subscription model, enabling developers to monetize, building other game services to serve our creator community, leading us through an IPO, and positioning us as a pioneer in the developer community.
Unity would not be where it is today without the impact of his contributions. I remain excited for the future of Unity.”
Unity didn’t provide a specific reason for Riccitiello’s retirement. However, the company’s image suffered a blow last month when it unveiled a contentious policy for users of its game engine.
Game developers faced an additional fee for each game installation, on top of the standard licensing cost.
The backlash was severe, with many vowing to switch to a different company. A portion of users criticized Riccitiello, who formerly served as the CEO at EA.
During his tenure there, he allegedly proposed imposing an additional fee on Battlefield players for reloading their weapons while playing the game. He mentioned in a stockholders meeting in 2011, “We’re not gouging, but we’re charging.”
Unity apologized and scaled back its plan to charge more fees for developers using the company’s game engine, although Riccitiello is leaving under public criticism. Unity acknowledged his contributions during his nearly decade-long tenure.
The response to this news will be mixed, with many praising his contributions to the gaming industry while others criticize his decisions as Unity’s CEO.